Free tool · United States

OSHA Recordable Incident Checker

Answer a few questions about the injury or illness and this checker walks OSHA's recordability rules (29 CFR 1904) with you — showing which rule applies at each step. It's a guide to help you decide, not an official determination.

Question 129 CFR 1904.31

Was the injury or illness to your own employee, or to a temporary/supervised worker whose day-to-day work you control?

OSHA recordkeeping covers your employees and workers you supervise day-to-day; where more than one employer is involved, the one who supervises the work usually records it (1904.31).

Yes — our employee, or a worker we supervise day-to-dayNo — an independent contractor or another employer's worker we don't superviseNot sure who supervises their day-to-day work

How OSHA recordability works

Under OSHA’s recordkeeping rule (29 CFR 1904), a case is recorded when it is work-related, a new case, and meets at least one general recording criterion — death, days away from work, restricted work or job transfer, medical treatment beyond first aid, loss of consciousness, or a significant injury or illness diagnosed by a physician or other licensed health-care professional. Some cases are recorded under special rules (1904.8–1904.12) covering needlesticks, medical removal, hearing loss, tuberculosis and musculoskeletal disorders. This checker walks those rules with you and shows which one applies.

Recording is not the same as reporting: the most serious events (a fatality, or an in-patient hospitalization, amputation or loss of an eye) carry separate, immediate reporting deadlines under 1904.39. Whichever result you get here, confirm it against the regulation, and check your state’s requirements if you are in an OSHA State-Plan state.

Frequently asked questions

Is this an official OSHA recordability decision?

No. It's a free self-assessment that walks you through OSHA's 29 CFR 1904 rules and shows the reasoning, so you can make a better-informed decision. You remain responsible for your recordkeeping, and when a case is unclear you should confirm with OSHA or a qualified professional.

What's the difference between a recordable and a reportable incident?

Recording means entering a qualifying case on your OSHA 300 Log and 301 forms across the year. Reporting is the separate, immediate phone call or online report OSHA requires for the most serious events (a fatality, or an in-patient hospitalization, amputation or loss of an eye) on the 8-hour/24-hour clocks under 1904.39. A severe event can be both.

What counts as “medical treatment beyond first aid”?

OSHA's first-aid list is complete — anything on it is first aid, and anything not on it counts as medical treatment. For example, a non-prescription medicine at non-prescription strength is first aid, but using it at prescription strength is medical treatment; butterfly bandages are first aid, but sutures or staples are medical treatment; massage is first aid, but physical therapy or chiropractic treatment is medical treatment.

Are small employers exempt from keeping records?

Employers with 10 or fewer employees throughout the previous calendar year, and establishments in certain lower-hazard industries, are partially exempt from routine recordkeeping under 1904.1-1904.2. Most construction employers above that size are not industry-exempt. Even exempt employers must still report severe events.

This checker is a free guide to help you work through OSHA's recordability rules (29 CFR 1904). It is not legal advice or an official OSHA determination, and you remain responsible for your own recordkeeping decisions. State-Plan states may have their own requirements. When a case is unclear, confirm with OSHA or a qualified professional.

Primary source: 29 CFR Part 1904 (eCFR).